Breaking electron pairs in pseudogap state in SmTiO<sub>3</sub>/SrTiO<sub>3</sub>/SmTiO<sub>3</sub> quantum wells

ORAL

Abstract

Pseudogap behavior has recently been found in strongly confined SmTiO3/SrTiO3/SmTiO3 quantum wells (Marshall et al, PRL 117, 046402 (2016)). We employ low-temperature transport measurements on SmTiO3/SrTiO3/SmTiO3 Hall bar structures to determine if this phase can be associated with the formation of a paired electron liquid phase. We drive a portion of the device out of equilibrium with voltages that exceed the pseudogap energy and measure the resulting longitudinal and Hall conductance. A unidirectional change in conductance is observed when the pair-breaking drive amplitude exceeds a critical value, providing evidence for the existence of long-lived quasiparticle excitations.

*We acknowledge support from the Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship program sponsored by the Basic Research Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and funded by the Office of Naval Research through grant N00014-15-1-2847.

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Presenters

  • Xinyi Wu

    • Physics and Astronomy, Univ of Pittsburgh

Authors

  • Xinyi Wu

    • Physics and Astronomy, Univ of Pittsburgh

  • Jianan Li

    • Physics, Univ of Pittsburgh
    • Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Univ of Pittsburgh
    • Physics, University of Pittsburgh
    • University of Pittsburgh
    • Physics and Astronomy, Univ of Pittsburgh

  • Megan Briggeman

    • Physics and Astronomy, Univ of Pittsburgh
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh

  • Patrick Marshall

    • Univ of California - Santa Barbara
    • UC Santa Barbara
    • Materials, Univ of California - Santa Barbara
    • Materials, Univ of California, Santa Barbara

  • Susanne Stemmer

    • ENMT, Materials Department, Univ of California - Santa Barbara
    • Univ of California - Santa Barbara
    • UC Santa Barbara
    • ENMT, Materials Department, Univeristy of California Santa Barbara
    • Materials, University of California, Santa Barbara
    • Material Science, University of California, Santa Barbara
    • Materials Department, University of California Santa Barbara
    • Materials Department, Univ of California - Santa Barbara
    • Materials, Univ of California - Santa Barbara
    • Materials, Univ of California, Santa Barbara

  • Patrick Irvin

    • Univ of Pittsburgh
    • University of Pittsburgh
    • Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Univ of Pittsburgh
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh
    • Physics, University of Pittsburgh
    • Physics and Astronomy, Univ of Pittsburgh

  • Jeremy Levy

    • Univ of Pittsburgh
    • Physics, Univ of Pittsburgh
    • University of Pittsburgh
    • Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Univ of Pittsburgh
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh
    • Physics, University of Pittsburgh
    • Physics and Astronomy, Univ of Pittsburgh